Mangaluru: We all know that one should be careful around trains, but the situation calls for immediate concern when we note that a railway division only sees several deaths that only seem to be increasing with each passing year. This is the case with the Southern Railway of the Palakkad division which has seen a total of 28 deaths within just a month being completed this year.
While the division recorded an overall 192 deaths at the beginning of this decade, back in 2021, this only doubled to 494 in the next year, further going up to 541 in the last year.
It is only high time when we bring this to a stop. Keeping that in mind, division officials report how one of the main factors behind these deaths is careless trespassing. 171 of the deaths here in 2021 were attributed to this factor, which then rose to 245 in the next year and then 268 in the next.
The second most common reason is suicide, going from 41 to 63 to 67 cases in the past three years. And it is not just human beings who seem to be losing their lives too under these trains. The division also reports grazing cattle that carelessly roam towards the sight, little knowing that they are about to lose their lives.
It began with nine cattle losing their lives back in 2020, going up to 11 in 2021 and then 18 in 2022. This has doubled to 28 with just one month gone by this year. While all we can do is feel sorry for all those lost lives, we can spare the rest by spreading the word on the seriousness of the situation, to not lose any more lives.
Division Railway Manager Arun Kumar Chaturvedi expresses his concern saying that the public, on their part, needs to cooperate with the authorities, which, according to the Railway Act of 1989 prevents this kind of entry over railway property without any lawful authority.
Then, why do we still have people encroaching upon areas that are forbidden with a view of their good and safety? Let us ask this to ourselves and keep this in mind the next time we find ourselves in such a situation, giving the priority to life and safety.
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